Upbeat as ever, Baker soldiers on

A seamless pairing of catchers has guided the Padres thus far, spotty pitching and all.

Weeks from now, who knows what could happen.

John Baker knows this: He’s breathing in the sweet aroma of a childhood dream, and he’s not ready for it to end, even if the locale shifts on him once again.

Sitting in the home dugout at Petco Park before a recent game, the backup catcher would, at least on this evening, remain stationary. As usual, Nick Hundley was starting. In a few days, Baker would get his turn.

“I’ve always had a lot of respect for Nick Hundley as a competitive player,” Baker said. “I tell him every day that if I’m gonna have to be a backup in the big leagues, he’s one of the easiest people to back up.”

Soon, though, there could be two backups. And room for only one.

May 28 is the day Yasmani Grandal becomes eligible to return from a 50-game suspension since testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone. The Padres carry 12 pitchers and, thus, a five-player bench best suited for a single catcher.

Grandal, 24 and rising despite his missteps, figures to stick. So does Hundley, owed $7 million between this season and next.

Baker knows a reckoning is coming, though he's not rushing to clear out his locker. Even while the Padres have publicly supported Grandal, the team's veterans, including both catchers, have voiced skepticism about a largely unproven player already with a black mark to his name.

“Yasmani had a great season last year, but there’s some question marks based on, obviously, what happened with him,” Baker said. “We don’t know if he’s gonna be the same player. I imagine he’s gonna be close to the same player that he was last year.”

Not that Baker, 32 and a father, is squeezing out gray hairs over the possibilities. He’s been traded twice and moved across the country once, in late 2011 when he went from the Miami Marlins to the Padres.

“The organization’s gonna have to make a decision,” Baker continued. “Whatever decision they end up making is something I’m gonna be fine with. If they tell me, ‘Hey, can you take some ground balls and fly balls, can you do something different so you can contribute in different ways,’ it’s something I have no problem doing.

“If my future isn’t in San Diego, that’s something I’m willing to accept. I can’t control any of that stuff. Sometimes when you look too far into the future, you take your eye off the ball. It’s not something that worries me or concerns me too much. Things always take care of themselves in baseball. All I can do is try to be a better player and let the chips fall where they may.”

Last season, they fell just so. Hundley, slowed by a troublesome knee, slumped so badly he was sent down to Tucson and replaced by Grandal. Baker ended up starting 52 games, hitting .238 with 14 RBIs as the Padres became the first team in major-league history to have three catchers start more than 50 contests.